Long Beach charter schools fighting for survival

LONG BEACH — For Long Beach mom Madeline Holler, sending her two young children to a charter school was one of the best decisions she's ever made.

At New City K-8 School, Holler said, her children learn valuable life skills that can't be measured by state standardized tests.

"One of the things I like about New City is they simply don't teach to the test," she said. "My kids are genuinely excited to go to school every day and learn."

Charter schools are publicly funded, independently run schools. They're overseen by school districts but are free from many of the education regulations binding traditional public schools.

Their numbers have skyrocketed in recent years as a growing number of parents search for educational alternatives for their children. In California, which is home to the largest number of charter schools in the nation, the numbers have grown from just 31 in 1994 to more than 900 in 2011, according to statistics from the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA). Today, an estimated 412,000 California children are enrolled in charter schools.

But as state budget cuts ravage schools districts across California, some charter schools have been hit particularly hard, said Vicky Waters, a CSSA spokeswoman.

"Because of the impact of the state budget, we're seeing a lot of charter schools struggling," Waters said. "Schools have had to come up with creative solutions to deal with budget problems."

Waters said charter schools have historically been underfunded compared with their traditional school counterparts. A report released this year from the California Legislative Analyst's Office found that charter schools receive on average 7 percent, or $395 per student, less in state funding compared with traditional schools.

Waters said charters also face challenges, including access to school bonds, parcel taxes and low-interest loans, as well as the cost of providing their own facilities.

"Our hope is that through legislative efforts we can change the inequity between charter schools and traditional schools so that charter schools are not as financially impacted," she said.

Long Beach has seen a small wave of charter school closings this year due to budget problems and low enrollment.

In February, New City's high school, Colegio New City, announced its plan to close due to low enrollment and funding troubles. In April, Constellation Middle School, Long Beach's oldest charter, closed halfway through the school year after running out of funding.

Last month, the Long Beach Unified School District announced its plan not to renew the charter for Rosie the Riveter High School because of concerns over the school's financial stability. Rosie has closed once before due to funding problems but was able to reopen for the 2011-12 school year.

Now, New City K-8, a school of about 500 students at 1637 Long Beach Blvd., is in danger of losing its charter due to concerns over the school's financial and academic struggles. Last month, the LBUSD Board of Education unanimously approved a notice of intent to revoke New City's charter, a move met with backlash from hundreds of angry New City parents.

As the next step, the school district will hold a town hall meeting on Monday to address New City's plans to correct its deficiencies. The board is expected to vote on whether to revoke the school's charter in a regular board meeting Tuesday.

School district officials have expressed concern over New City's financial stability and academic performance. A school district report released in May noted that New City hadn't made its monthly $40,000 payments on a $5.4million loan since December.

Last fall, the state Board of Education placed New City and 13 other charters on a watch list due to low test scores and state rankings.

New City's Academic Performance Index for 2011 was 612, putting the school far below the state target of 800. According the CCSA, the average API score is 810 for charter elementary schools and 792 for middle schools.

LBUSD Board President Felton Williams, whose district includes New City, said Long Beach Unified shares the state's concerns.

"The fact that they've gotten this notification from the state has basically raised the red flag," he said.

Williams said New City staff in the meeting on Monday will need to present a solid plan for fiscal and academic stability.

"We're past rhetoric," he said. "We need something concrete that says these kids will be able to get a good, solid education."

Sabrina Bow, New City's executive director, said the school has developed a comprehensive financial plan that will allow it to remain at its current downtown location and continue to serve students.

"We're very confident that the district will have all the information it needs," she said.

Bow noted that the school has a strong parent base and support from elected officials including Vice Mayor Robert Garcia, Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal, Councilman Gary DeLong and Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal.

As for the district's academic concerns, Bow said the school has a new academic plan in place that will need time to grow. Among the changes is a new Spanish-English dual immersion program that was established in the spring.

"It's not a quick fix," she said. "What we put in place last spring will take time to implement."

If the board on Tuesday votes to revoke New City's charter, it may not be the final word. The school has the option of appealing the decision to the Los Angeles County Board of Education.

For now, New City is still planning to open its doors for the first day of school on Sept. 5, Bow said, adding that it has a large class of 80 kindergartners enrolled, in addition to the other grades.

"Yanking the school's charter two weeks before school starts would create a tremendous hardship," she said.

Parents like Madeline Holler, who sits on the New City board, hope the school will remain open as an important symbol of parental choice. Founded in 2000, New City is the last independent charter school in the district, she added.

"I'm not sure where I would send my children if it closes," she said. "The options just really aren't there."

By the numbers

412,000: The number of California schoolchildren enrolled in charter schools in the 2011-12 school year.

982: The number of charter schools in California as of 2011, the highest number in the nation.

31: The number of charter schools in 1994.

45%: Students in charter schools who are Latino. White students make up the second highest ethnic population at 33%, followed by African-American students at 11% and Asians at 4%.

100: The number of new charter schools that opened in California in 2011.

13%: The growth of student enrollment between 2010 and 2011.

778: The mean Academic Performance Index score for charter schools in 2010-11. The state target is 800.

1992: The year California approved the Charter Schools Act. The state was second in the nation after Minnesota.

Statistics from the California Charter Schools Association

Want to go?

The town hall meeting on the future of New City K-8 School will take place at 2 p.m. on Monday at the school district's headquarters at 1515 Hughes Way. The final vote on the New City charter will take place during the Board of Education's regular meeting on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the district headquarters.